News of: Wednesday, 24th of August, 2011

Front Page

Rebels overran Muammar Gaddafi's compound in Tripoli Tuesday, raising their flag and ripping the head off his statue as they celebrated a symbolic, if not yet real, end to the strongman's iron-fisted 42-year rule.

The general secretary of ruling Awami League must be thanked by the people for having discovered the most heinous side of the media in Bangladesh. Other astute politicians before him revealed many of our dark sides, but Ashraf's revelation takes the cake. The media is creating the ground for PM's death!

Amnesty International has called upon all countries to stop supplying arms to Bangladesh citing that they will be used by Rapid Action Battalion and other law enforcement agencies to commit extrajudicial killings.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will greet her Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh on his arrival in Dhaka early next month for a two-day visit when the two countries are expected to sign several landmark deals to further boost the bilateral relations.

Editorial

Despite the last-ditch stand by his loyalists in parts of Tripoli and in his home region of Sirte, Muammar Gaddafi's hold on Libya has effectively come to an end. No tears for the man who consistently entrenched himself in power and indulged in self-glorification. In control of Libya since he, as a young colonel, overthrew the monarchy in September 1969, Gaddafi made little effort to transform his country into a democracy and at no point showed any desire to pass the torch to a successor. His obsession, especially in the past decade, has been to promote his children to take over from him. Besides, his eccentricities have always embarrassed his fellow Libyans.

Robbery and extortion have been the exclusive preserve of the criminals, but now they seem to have competitors outside their clan. Whatever their number, the police are now getting involved in forays so long reserved for criminals alone. Handful they may be, but who knows how their ranks are growing.

Sports

When most accusing fingers for the Bangladesh cricket team's recent debacle in Zimbabwe are pointed at the structure and management of cricket in the country, chief selector Akram Khan believes that the players have to improve individually to avoid such embarrassments.

Infuriated by India's humiliating 4-0 series defeat in England, the nation's press has lashed out at the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), accusing the governing body of pursuing riches instead of developing the Test team.

Commonwealth Gold medallist shooter Asif Hossain Khan has apparently put his playing career on the line by joining Bangladesh Krira Shikkha Protisthan as a coach on contract basis, but the ace shooter believes he can still carry out his coaching activities while extending his playing career, given necessary support from the shooting federation and Olympic association.

In the face of consistent rain, Bangladesh Football Federation is planning to buy a pitch-cover to protect the playing surface at the Bangabandhu National Stadium ahead of the Argentina-Nigeria international friendly to be held on September 6.

Former Pakistan pacer Aaquib Javed, who was removed as assistant coach of the national team for the tour of Zimbabwe, is being tipped as a strong candidate to fill in the head coach's post left vacant by the sudden resignation of Waqar Younis.

Spain's soccer federation (RFEF) has opened an investigation into Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho's eye-poking incident in last week's Spanish Super Cup match against Barcelona, the body said on Tuesday.

Devastated and "without appetite for life", Rafael Nadal contemplated a move into professional golf after a career-threatening injury sidelined him, the 10-time Grand Slam champion has written in his autobiography.

The stockmarket regulator yesterday decided in principle to set a uniform face value of equity shares and mutual fund units at Tk 10, a move that would end misinterpretation, confusion and manipulative attempts.

The Danish government on Tuesday pledged more than 10 billion kroner ($1.9 billion, 1.3 billion euros) to kick-start the country's economy, as it reportedly prepared to revise down its 2011 growth forecast.

During Vice President Joe Biden's visit to China, Beijing and Washington confined their brawling to the basketball court, and for now economic and political needs should keep tensions in the diplomatic arena from spiralling into fully-fledged feuds.

Memories of the panic that engulfed the world after the collapse of Lehman Brothers in 2008 have hardened rich investors who have held their nerve and resisted the impulse to dash for cash during August's market falls, private bankers said.

With the biggest festival for Muslims drawing near, people are taking preparations to celebrate the day with their near and dear ones. But it may not be all fun and joy for many stock investors, as the secondary share market is witnessing a continuous downward trend in the last one month.

A bearish trend has been sweeping the securities market over the last one month. The benchmark General Index lost more than 600 points within a couple of weeks, although the present market situation is lucrative for long term investment.

Most Asian economies have not done enough to provide good jobs and adequate social benefits for their people, despite rapid economic growth over 20 years, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) said Tuesday.

German investor confidence slumped in August for the sixth month running to levels last seen in late 2008 on worries about the eurozone debt crisis and weak prospects for economic growth, the ZEW indicator showed on Tuesday.

Asian stock markets rose Tuesday thanks to bargain-hunting and a positive lead from Wall Street, while regional sentiment was also lifted by better-than-expected preliminary Chinese manufacturing data.

Communications Minister Syed Abul Hossain told the parliament yesterday that his ministry will be able to repair all roads across the country properly if the finance minister gives clearance to take foreign funds.

Gono Forum President Dr Kamal Hossain yesterday demanded restoration of the caretaker government system to the constitution and dropping of some sections from the 15th amendment, which he held inconsistent with the 1972 charter.

Former army chief Moeen U Ahmed will give his testimony via teleconference on September 13 before a parliamentary sub-committee probing the Dhaka University (DU) campus violence during the last caretaker government's tenure.

Hundreds of Dhaka University (DU) students, teachers and employees yesterday observed the 4th anniversary of 'Black Day' recalling the inhuman oppressions on them by the military backed caretaker government on August 20 to 23 in 2007.

The High Court yesterday summoned Bangladesh Deputy High Commissioner in Kolkata Mustafizur Rahman and First Secretary Anwarul Islam to appear in person on October 13 to explain their failure in extending security and facilities to visiting judges in accordance with the warrant of precedence.

A pro-liberation war platform yesterday declared different programmes for the next month to press their demands including deletion of "the communal and undemocratic articles in the present constitution that contradict the basic spirit of the 1972 constitution".

The High Court (HC) yesterday issued a rule upon authorities concerned to explain why Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir is holding the office of a parliamentary member despite the Supreme Court's (SC) cancellation of his candidacy.

Biman Bangladesh Airlines reduced one-way ticket fare on wide-bodied aircraft of DC-10 and Airbus-310 on Dhaka-Chittagong route by Tk 500 and on Dhaka-Sylhet route by Tk 200 as special offer ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr.

Rejecting Jamaat-e-Islami leader Delwar Hossain Sayedee's bail petition for the sixth time, the International Crimes Tribunal yesterday began hearing on charge framing in a case filed in connection with his crimes against humanity during the Liberation War.

Job seekers who failed to come out successful in the primary teacher recruitment process yesterday brought out a procession in the town and attacked Rangamati Hill District Council (RHDC) office alleging irregularities, nepotism and bribery.

Bonyaprani Seba Foundation, an organisation working for protection and preservation of wildlife, freed eight different species of wildlife to Lawachhara Reserve Forest on the occasion of Janmashtami, the birthday of Hindu Lord Shree Krishna on Monday.

A schoolboy was killed after abduction at Ouran Tetli village in Dakkhin Surma upazila on Monday.The body of Mozammel Hossain Nayeem, 10, a class IV student, was found near their residence in the morning. Police said some local youths abducted Nayeem, son of Abdul Haque, on August 14 for ransom. Although the police was informed about the matter, they could not rescue the schoolboy even eight days into abduction. Victim's father filed an abduction case on Sunday. According to the case statement, Ismail and Mithun of the same village abducted Nayeem as a sequel to a previous enmity with Abdul Haque over the ownership of a land at the village.

A primary school and two shops were gutted in a fire at Sonapur Bazar under Sonaimuri upazila early yesterday. Police said the fire originated from an electric short circuit at Mizan Store, a stationery shop at the bazar at around 3:00am and soon engulfed the adjacent Sonapur Primary School and another shop. Locals with the help of fire fighters extinguished the blaze

Two criminals were arrested after a gunfight with law enforcers in Chatmohor upazila of the district yesterday morning.The arrestees are Habibullah, 33, of Atghoria upazila, and Khandaker Habib, 32, of Chatmohor upazila. Acting on a tip-off, police raided Idilpur village in Foilzana union of Chatmohor upazila where a gang of criminals assembled at around 7:30am, said Mohammad Habibul Islam, officer-in-charge of Chatmohor Police Station. Sensing the presence of the police, the criminals opened fire on them, prompting the law enforcers to retaliate. After a 30-minute shootout, police arrested two of the gang while the rest managed to flee, the OC added. Police recovered a shutter gun, two bullets and a machete from their possession.

A mobile court in a drive on the river Shitalakkhya yesterday fined 17 sand-laden trawlers running without fitness certificates and necessary papers.The court led by Executive Magistrate Nahid Firoz Siddiqui conducted the drive at Matlaghat area and realised Tk 27,000 as fine from the trawlers. BIWTA's Senior Deputy Director Saiful Islam, Deputy Director Alamgir Kabir and Police and Ansar members were on-duty at Matlaghat during the drive.

International

Nato insisted yesterday that "the end is near" for Muammar Gaddafi, despite the battle for Tripoli dragging into a third day and the Libyan leader's son making a defiant TV appearance when rebels claimed he was under arrest.

Muammar Gaddafi's 42-year dictatorship is hanging by a thread, most of his family is either under arrest or in exile, and rebels are celebrating their impending victory in virtually every village, town and Tripoli neighbourhood. It's like Iraq in March 2003. But things in Iraq changed quickly.

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh yesterday appealed to the anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare to end his hunger strike with a promise that his version of tough anti-corruption law, the Jan Lokpal Bill, could be referred to a parliamentary standing committee if rules permit.

The hurried sex ending with Dominique Strauss-Kahn ejaculating on his hotel room maid may well have been forced, but lies told by the maid in the aftermath doomed any chance of putting the powerful Frenchman on trial, prosecutors say.

Rupert Murdoch's News Corp gave cash and benefits to the former editor of the News of the World tabloid when he worked for David Cameron in opposition, the BBC said yesterday, in a new embarrassment for the British prime minister.

Sudan's President Omar Hassan al-Bashir announced yesterday a two-week unilateral cease-fire in the country's main oil-producing state of Southern Kordofan, after weeks of fighting between government troops and rebels.

Arts & Entertainment

Fifty-one year old Baul singer Birohi Kala Mia was born in Sunamganj. His parents named him Md. Habibur Rahman. Kala Mia's grandfather, the late Jaban Ali, was a mystic and father, late Fakir Mohammad Monohor Ali, was also a Baul singer and songwriter who performed with Baul Shah Abdul Karim.

Director Tanvir Mokammel has never hesitated to take up socio-political issues head on in all his films and it is, therefore, befitting that Rabindra Bharati University of Kolkata has invited him to give a talk on August 26 on “Social Realism in the Recent Cinema of Bangladesh” in the context of his work.

Farooki has embarked on filmmaking again. This one, titled “Television” will also feature Tisha in one of the lead roles. He is planning to start the preliminary works on September at one of the remotest corners of Noakhali. Mosharraf Karim and Chanchal Chowdhury will also don major roles in the film. This will be Chanchal's first appearance in a Farooki film.

Concord Entertainment's Fantasy Kingdom complex in Ashulia, near Dhaka, includes Fantasy Kingdom, Water Kingdom, Heritage Park, X-treme Racing Go-kart and Motel Atlantis, and is a delight for children and adults alike.

Rtv will air the tele-film “Ek Je Chilen Kripon Bridhha” on the first day of Eid-ul-Fitr at 2:15pm. The tele-film has been written by Imdadul Haque Milon and directed by Sanjit Sarkar. The cast includes Dolly Zohur, Shahed Sharif Khan, Alvi and Mita Noor.

A giant 4,000-year-old Egyptian visitor looms over the crowd of live humans milling antlike throughout the vast entry hall of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. He is an extraordinary specimen of regal manhood. Carved from a single block of dark grey granodiorite, he sits in a form-fitting kilt on a cubic throne covered by hieroglyphics. He has the broad shoulders, narrow waist and muscular legs of a well-developed athlete. Sporting a headdress of folded striped fabric, he gazes out over the masses with imperturbable self-assurance and open eyes set in a round, youthful face. He is as thrilling as anything in the Met's great Egyptian collection.

OP-ED

Seriously, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party needs to graduate from being a tribe to a modern political party. A tribe considers itself the whole world. Everything outside it is the enemy or does not exist. Or if it does exist, it must not be taken seriously. Only the tribe matters. On the other hand, a political party is a receptacle of ideas geared to the promotion of public welfare. It is a machine which knows where it has gone wrong, if it has been malfunctioning, and knows what it must do to have its batteries recharged in order to win back the support of the people for whom it purports to speak.

In the middle of all the debt default drama and stock market turbulence, the leading Republican presidential candidates have begun to fill in the shadowy outlines of their positions on major economic issues.

Foreign Secretary of Bangladesh Mijarul Quayes will be paying a visit to Myanmar to meet his counterpart on August 24 for two days to discuss bilateral and regional issues. The last meeting at the foreign secretary level took place in Dhaka on December 28, 2009. The trip is welcomed.

The very first community that Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) established in Medina governed itself via a set of rules agreed upon by all three segments of society: the Muslims, the Jews, and the pagans. Modern-day scholars and lawyers marvel at the similarities between the Charter of Medina established under the Prophet's leadership in the seventh century and the Constitution of the United States of America adopted eleven centuries later. Both documents laid down democratic, pluralistic, and federal systems of governance. The Charter of Medina (Sahifat al Madinah) is known to be the first written constitution of the world.